Burrowing Owls in Cape Coral

 February Wednesday 20

23rd Annual Burrowing Owl Festival

Cape Coral is hosting the 23rd Annual Burrowing Owl Festival on Saturday at Rotary Park.

Burrowing Owls are the official bird for the City of Cape Coral and are found everywhere. The library and the ballfields on Pelican Boulevard are good locations to get that great photograph.

Some Local Birds

 Thursday March 10th

Bronzed Cowbird
Fort Myers Shores, Florida

Spending less time traveling these days in search of interesting birds. So, I've been staying close to home to enjoy the nature surrounding us here.

Burrowing Owls
Cape Coral, Florida

Monk Parakeets
Cape Coral, Florida

Monk Parakeets
Cape Coral, Florida

Pileated Woodpecker
Six-Mile Cypress Preserve

Eurasian Starling at
West Marsh Preserve - Lehigh Acres, Florida

Great Blue Heron
Six-Mile Cypress Preserve

Gray-headed Swamphen
Harns Marsh Preserve, Lehigh Acres, Florida

Pine Warbler
Babcock-Webb WMA - Charlotte County, Florida

Turkey Vulture
Harns Marsh Preserve, Lehigh Acres, Florida

Painted Bunting
Fort Myers Shores, Florida

Bald Eagle
Babcock-Webb WMA - Charlotte County, Florida

Dunlins are wintering at
Bunche Beach Preserve, Fort Myers

Brown-headed Cowbirds
Fort Myers Shores, Florida

Florida Sandhill Crane
Harns Marsh Preserve, Lehigh Acres, Florida

A pair of Florida Sandhill Crane with their chicks
Baby cranes are called Colts
Harns Marsh Preserve, Lehigh Acres, Florida

Loggerhead Shrike at
West Marsh Preserve - Lehigh Acres, Florida

White Ibis
Fort Myers Shores, Florida

Eurasian Collared Dove
Fort Myers Shores, Florida

Merlin
Babcock-Webb WMA - Charlotte County, Florida

Great Crested Flycatcher
Babcock-Webb WMA - Charlotte County, Florida

Northern Cardinal
Fort Myers Shores, Florida

Northern Cardinal
Fort Myers Shores, Florida

White-winged Dove
Fort Myers Shores, Florida

Black-crowned Night-heron
Six-Mile Cypress Preserve

Piping Plovers are wintering at
Bunche Beach Preserve, Fort Myers

Red-bellied Woodpecker
Fort Myers Shores, Florida

Cattle Egret
Harns Marsh Preserve - Lehigh Acres, Florida

White Pelican on Sanibel Island

Willet at Bunch Beach, Fort Myers

A large flock of Nanday Parakeets
 seen in Fort Myers

Muscovy Ducks
Six-Mile Cypress Preserve

Common Ground Dove
Fort Myers Shores, Florida

Festival Park - The Groove-billed Ani

 

Friday January 15th

The City of Cape Coral has been in the development phase on property in near Kismet and Chiquita Roads for well over fourteen years. It will eventually become Festival Park, a location to support large events such as musical, sports and other activities.

Florida Scrub Jay at Festival Park

But for now, birders routinely come out here looking for the family of Florida Scrub Jays, plus Burrowing Owls, American Kestrels and Eastern Meadowlarks. Currently a Groove-billed Ani has shown up.  I got to see it a couple of times so far. However I keep dipping on the Ash-throated Flycatcher that has also arrived here. I've made several visits without success. But I'll try again later

Another interesting observation made on yesterday's visit was seeing a coyote dash across the road in front of us. Coyotes are becoming more and more commonly seen in our area.  They are even seen and heard on Sanibel Island

Groove-billed Ani at Festival Park

Burrowing Owl at Festival Park

Upland Sandpipers

Wednesday April 18th

Burrowing Owl today at Festival Park, Cape Coral

The first couple of weeks of April were a bit frustrating as far as how the Spring Migration has progressed. But as of Sunday birding activity has certainly picked up.

Today we had an unusual sighting of a flock of upland sandpipers in north Cape Coral. They were first reported by Alli Smith and have been  feeding and resting in the grassy, Festival Park location, were  we would normally be looking for resident Florida Scrub Jays and Burrowing Owls.

So Quiet

Monday July 10th

Fish Crow seen at Bowditch Point Park

It'll be a few weeks yet till the birding picks up around here. There are a few interesting birds to chase around the state like in Ft Lauderdale (Tropical Mockingbird), Sarasota (Tropical Kingbirds), Clewiston ( Shiny Cowbird) or Lake Apopka (Fork-tailed Flycatcher, Mississippi Kites, Bronze Cowbird). 

But for now we'll have to wait till the end of the month for the early arrives.

Snowy Plover seen at Bowditch Point

Currently the Least Tern and Black Skimmers colonies on Ft Myers Beach are continuing their nesting. Earlier today I had ran into Meg Rausher, who is employed to monitor these colonies. Meg shared that the breeding colonies of Least Terns, Black Skimmers, Snowy Plovers and Wilson's Plovers took a hit last month from the heavy rains and flooding surfs. Eggs and hatchlings were lost. Some of the Least Terns gave up and left the site, many others are re-nesting. Lets hope for the best.

According to the Turtle Time web site, no sea turtle nest were lost.

Least Tern seen at Carlos Point

Nanday Parakeet seen in Ft Myers

Marbled Godwit seen at Bunche Beach Preserve

Burrowing Owl seen at the ball fields at Cape Coral

A small gator seen at

Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve

Spring Time in Cape Coral

Tuesday March 28th

This morning  I spent time birding various location in Cape Coral, starting at the Ball Fields on Pelican Boulevard. From here, began a series of observations of spring time romance amongst the birds.  Basically noted the Monk Parakeets and Fish Crows present collecting nesting materials. At other location noticed the same behavior with Starlings and Blue Jays, plus Downy Woodpeckers and Flickers prepping nest holes.

Pelican Blvd Ball Fields

This Fish Crow spent time adjusting this twig just so.

Monk Parakeets were busy collecting twigs for their huge nests

Working the nest

Burrowing Owl

Rotary Park

A Few Palm Warblers were present

Visited Rotary Park next and found it rather quite. A few waders, Mockingbirds, Palm, Yellow-rumped and Prairie Warblers and Red-bellied Woodpeckers.

Greater Yellowlegs

Charlotte Harbor Buffer Preserve

Northern Flicker prepping her nest hole

On my first visit to Charlotte Harbor Buffer Preserve, encountered Northern Flickers and Downy Woodpeckers actively prepping nest hole, plus Red-bellied Woodpeckers and Blue Jays carrying nesting material. Lots of Eastern Towhees could be heard and with a high tide not much was happening along the shore line.

Downy female checking her nest hole

Red-bellied Woodpecker in breeding colors

Downy Woodpecker inspection nest hole

    

Banded American Kestrel

This American Kestrel was seen down the road from the entrance. I hadn't ever notice one with a leg band before.